Trust Nothing
by Elillierose
Summary: What if Prompto had managed to weasel his way out of Ardyn's clutches before he had the chance to bind him. This is my take on how Episode Prompto could have went. (No Episode Prompto spoilers though...only chapter 13? spoilers.) Gladio is here as well (4 character limit. .-.)


**Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting**

 **Day seven for FFXVWeek**

 **Prompt: Alternate Endings**

 **I really hope this counts as an alternate ending for Episode Prompto.**

 **Also, thank you so much to those that stuck it out through all of these. XD I know some weren't quite as thought out as others, but I did have fun with all of them. OwO So thank you for all the support on them.**

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Why did everything hurt so much; there wasn't an inch upon his entire body that didn't have some sort of ache or throb making itself known. His head pulsed with agony, and his limbs shook with exhausted and screaming pain. Unwittingly, a groan escaped his throat as he shifted uncomfortable. Along with the movement, there was a bit of a shuffle beneath him; and, it was then that he was aware of the rhythmic steps that carried him. He was draped over someone's shoulder. That was odd, the last thing he recalled was departing with Aranea as he made his way to finally get back to the others. So, where the hell was he now.

"Oh, awake are we? I have to admit, I'm a little surprised. I guess I didn't give you enough credit," the voice drifted up to him, caressing his senses in all the wrong ways.

Prompto couldn't get his voice to work just yet, all he could muster was another pitiful whimper as another stab jolted through his skull. His mind raced though, his body just didn't seem to want to cooperate just yet, no matter how much his instincts chastised it. 'Come on,' he told himself, earning a small twitch out of his left leg, the other followed suit soon after. His eyes gradually cracked open, and to his relief, it wasn't overly bright wherever he was, but it still wasn't a reassuring sight.

Ardyn's low hum eerily sounded out, filling the silence that wasn't occupied by his echoing steps. The tune bounced off the walls, giving the effect of more than once voice as it created a sort of unsettling chorus. As he listened, the blond forced his eyes to open further, blinking rapidly as his vision protested and complained against it. While he was brought farther down the hall, his sight picked up on little things here and there; cages lined some of the walls, strange devices with various clamps and buckles. Fear surged, and his heart started to thrum as it pieced everything together.

"Wh-what're you doin'?" he slurred, still not quite grasping the whole speech thing yet, "Wh're you taking me?" It felt like his pulse was trying to rupture his insides as his nose picked up on vile scents...rust, oil, and he could have sworn there was a metallic odor that wasn't from the steel of this place's structure.

Abruptly, the man's casual crooning voice died down, and his steps slowed marginally. "Well now, if I told you it'd ruin the surprise, wouldn't it?" he spoke as if this was meant to be a party of sorts; for him, maybe, but the idea of his pleasure didn't bode well for the gunner. "Just relax and enjoy the ride while you can," and with that, he was back to his purring hums.

Prompto's breaths unintentionally sped up, and he had never felt more helpless than this moment. He was alone in this, he had no idea where he was and no clue where the others were. Hell, he doubted they even knew where he could be, and seeing that he could have been out for any given amount of time, he could be anywhere by now. Right, he had a weapon, of course. He straightened his hand out the best he could and called out to it...and waited...and felt panic swell at the lack of the weight in his palm. "What the..." he muttered, grinding his teeth.

"There's no need for such toys here," Ardyn answered before the other had the chance to question it. "Can't have you misbehaving, now can we, my dear?" He chuckled under his breath and shook his head in the same manner one would if explaining something so simple to a child.

At the news, Prompto let his natural survival instincts sink in, not caring how foolish he may have appeared. He kicked and bucked as much as he were able in the tight and secure hold that was around his waist. "Let go!" he nearly growled out, his head swinging to the side in an attempt to strike the mauve-haired man's face.

"Now, now, what did I just say," the blond let out a small and strangled cry as Ardyn's free hand was clasped around his throat. "If I have choke you back to unconsciousness to get you to settle down, then don't think I won't." He held on until the younger's thrashing weakened and became less of a nuisance. "That's better," he whispered joyously, releasing his hold as Prompto took in a greedy breath; he had to fight to keep the shadows in the corner of his vision at bay. "Next time, I won't be so generous."

He didn't reply, he couldn't, his sole focus on getting enough air back into his lungs as quick pants puffed out. A few heavy coughs later, and his surroundings finally became stationary once more. Ok, so that wasn't the best idea. Letting his body take over instead of his mind would only result in his own suffering.

"Seems you're a quick learner after all," the immortal practically congratulated, "Keep this up, and it may end up being easier for the both of us. Now, doesn't that sound marvelous?" As he turned another corner, Prompto took another glance around, finding a few rooms that appeared almost like cells, each of which harbored one of those grotesque devices. And, to his utter disgust and dismay, the metallic scent was stronger than ever in this area. Looking to the floor, there was a rust-colored stain, and he highly doubted it was due to corrosion.

"Ah, looks like we've arrived, and thanks to your...cooperation, you made it here in one piece," why did he sound so displeased by that fact? "Who knows, if you keep this 'good boy' act of yours up, I may even give you a gold star." If it weren't for the dripping sarcasm and the weight of the situation, Prompto would have rolled his eyes. The sound of metal grating up screeched of the walls and earned a good wince from him.

The word 'no' ran through his head on a continuous loop, this couldn't be happening, he couldn't be stuck here like this; not by this man. He felt overwhelmingly helpless as he was brought into the last room, Ardyn's free hand working with the contraption; the snaps and clanks sent shudders down his spine in chilled stabs as he listened. "Why...are you doing this?" he asked once he swallowed his swelling anticipation.

"You'll find out soon enough," he sang out, not an ounce of remorse in his tone.

He felt light-headed, and it wasn't from the lack of oxygen this time, his heart thrummed as his stomach clenched. Then, he felt himself finally being lowered, and there was that moment of slackness around him. There was no thought put into it; without thinking, his body fell back into the survival drive that didn't require any cognizant assistance. The moment his arms were loosed enough, his right one immediately struck out, and he felt his elbow connect with something. Prompto didn't look to see what, but it managed to cause Ardyn to drop his hold for a moment...long enough for him to squeeze out.

The next thing he was aware of was his stumbling and uncertain legs carrying him away, the sounds and thumps of his pounding footfalls only barely drowning out the low and menacing chuckle that trailed after him. It all happened so fast, and he didn't have a clue as to what was going on until he was around the corner and halfway down that hall; he didn't stop, he ran until his lungs burned and until breath seemed nothing less than a luxury. Rounding another turn, his shoulder banged against one of the corners as he took it too swiftly, knocking him slightly off balance. It was enough to slow his pace, urging him to take a few seconds to collect himself.

Prompto ducked behind the first thing he saw, which seemed to be a few metal crates containing things he was sure he didn't wish to know. Slowly, taking in heaves of air, he sank to the floor and leaned his head back. There was that nag at the back of his mind that berated him for stopping, but the throbs in his throat with each inhale begged to differ.

As he gradually began to settle down, he focused on what he could hear, and he didn't know if he should be relieved or not by the lack of indication from the other man. At least he didn't seem to be anywhere close to him, but the fact that he hadn't been hot on his trail could cause for other reasons to be concerned. Taking a deep breath, he shakily got up to his feet; he had to keep moving, and as much as he hated it, he couldn't afford to sit still for too long, not in a place like this, and not now.

His first step faltered, both his legs flooding with uneasy wobbliness now that the initial excitement was finally dissipating, leaving him a drained and fumbling mess. Prompto didn't know what the guy did to him, but whatever it was definitely took its toll. He leaned heavily against the coolness of the wall as he pulled himself to stand straighter, using it for support until his legs cooperated once again. Alright, he had this, there was no choice in the matter.

Taking one steady step at a time, he carefully worked into a steady and ongoing pattern of borderline shuffling. And, it was painstakingly snail-like in pace, but it was progressively picking up until he found that he no longer required the wall for aid. One hand now ran along the scraping surface just to provide him with a sense of security for a few more feet. Another corner down, and a bit more certainty in his strides; this process replayed a few more times before he was going at a light jog.

The blond had no idea where he was going, he just prayed to every astral there was that he just happened to be going in somewhat the right direction. The 'clangs' came to a sudden halt, his eyes darting back and forth between two halls, both of which appearing to be the same. "Are you serious," he shuffled on his feet desperately, a small jolt of surprise gripping him as a 'bang' pulled his attention to the right path. Biting his lip, he stepped back and pressed himself against the wall should someone with ill intent be down there.

"-ompto!" the voice filtered hollowly towards him, and his breath caught in his chest at the instant recognition.

"Noct," he breathed out, both in relief and disbelief...it didn't seem plausible, but the hopeful whispers from his heart told him to trust it, despite what the pleading warnings his brain argued back. A trickle of perspiration rolled down the back of his neck and his fingers twitched at his side in anticipation.

Steps, bouncing through the empty hall grew louder. "Prompto!" he sounded distraught, begging for him to alleviate his worry. Curling his trembling fingers, he squeezed his eyes shut for a fraction of a second, and finally stepped out, his gaze locking immediately to the figure towards the end of the hall.

The gunner exhaled absentmindedly, staring straight into twilight eyes. "Noctis?" he questioned, taking a reluctant step forward, followed by another tentative one. Then another and the space between them was slowly closing. He didn't speak though, in fact, he didn't even move, like that of a statue; he merely stared back, a near dead look in his gaze. A flash of red in his eyes and a jerky spasm of his head as it turned to the side, and Prompto's left foot froze mid step.

It wasn't until 'Noctis' took a step that he realized something was terribly wrong. But, before he could retreat back, the facade of the prince was bounding to him, an ax replacing what would have normally been his blade. In the blink of an eye, flakes of the prince began to peel away to reveal the shell of soldier underneath. With haste in his movements, his footing was less than sure, causing him to fall back, the uncovered MT over him the moment he was down. His hands flew to grip at the handle, the sharpened edge hovered just above his left shoulder, and was slowly making its way closer.

A pained and stifled gasp escaped his lips as cold steel bit down into flesh; it wasn't very deep from what he could tell, but that didn't stop it from hurting like hell. In a last attempt at desperation, he managed to work his leg between the two of them, and giving a solid shove, the enemy was pried enough away for him use his hands to give it that extra push to get it off. Prompto wasted not even a second to get back on his feet, and while the MT was still rolled on its side, he placed a foot down on its chest and wrapped his fingers around the handle of the ax. It took far less strength than he would have imagined to rip the weapon from its clutch, its fingers groaned with the force of it, sounding as though it wasn't well cared for.

He shook his head, trying not to think about it too much, whatever this thing was or where it came from didn't matter right now. Lifting it above his head, he stared into those pulsating crimson orbs as he brought it down. Sparks flew from the canyon of a split in its head, the creaks and whines slowly died down until it eventually stilled.

Prompto released his hold and stepped back, his whole frame shuddered as he looked the thing over. "My my, what happened here?" Pins ran down his neck and spine, a light touch caressed the side of his face from behind.

Gasping, he hopped away, hand flying to his face where he could still feel the creeping sensation. He spun on the spot, a sound of surprise leaving him at finding the hall behind him empty. His blood burned as it coursed harshly through his veins, and he felt slightly sick. Hand never leaving his face, he glanced around in the other direction...still nothing. His hand slowly slid off his cheek and instead grabbed back at the ax along with the other and he tore it away, wires and more sparks arcing after it.

He wasn't exactly proficient when it came to arms such as this, but it was better than nothing and would provide some sort of protection at the very least. His shoulder protested slightly with the strain the weight of it added, but it was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. Twisting it in his hands, he turned back towards the end of the hall, and with a delayed decision, continued that way; he was already half-way down it, so he may as well.

Every foot he covered was taken with double the precaution as before, and twice the unease and distrust; every sound that hit him caused his hair to stand on end. He hesitated as the hall transitioned into a set of stairs, the grated surface seemingly going on forever with no sign of ending. That is, until the light at the bottom flicked for a moment, proving that they did eventually have a bottom, it was simply veiled in shadow.

Prompto chuckled nervously to himself; he wasn't particularly afraid of the dark, but given the location and what he just encountered, it was fair to say it was quite terrifying. "Get over it, and just go," he whispered to himself, bouncing in place for a moment to compose himself. Down was where he was sure he needed to go, or he assumed; to be honest, he wasn't sure what floor this was, so he could have been going in completely the wrong direction and not even know it.

He didn't think about it any longer, that only prolonged the unavoidable. Dropping his foot down to the first platform, the 'ding' from it danced around, only amplified by the unsettling silence of everything else. A shiver ran through him by the time he reached the midway point, and he was determined to blame it on the slight breeze he was sure he felt.

"Come out come out where ever you are, my little birdie," came that chilling sing-song voice from above. He quickened his descent, cringing each time the next step did nothing but send out a sort of signal indicating exactly where he was located. "The more you run the harder you're going to make this on yourself," he chuckled with a hint of pleasure...he was getting a kick out of this. Prompto grit his teeth at that realization, but he didn't slow down.

His muscles tensed when the presence was almost tangible, he could have sworn Ardyn was right behind him, only one step behind; he could feel his hands closing in around him. The light flashed as his feet connected back on solid flooring, and it all vanished. No more unease breathing down his neck, and he again felt completely alone. "H-hello?" he called out with slight restraint, and only received his own returning words as a reply.

Gripping his hands tighter around his weapon, he stood there, hardly moving as he listened closely to anything that might catch his attention. Nothing. "You're paranoid," his whispered to himself, questioning whether Ardyn was actually there. There wasn't any physical sign of him...but, he sounded right there.

Keeping his eyes on the top of the stairs, he took a few steps back, his left foot catching on something. The stumble knocked him off balance, but he managed to stay upright. "Wha-" he glanced down and instantly hopped to the side, ax held out ready to swing if necessary. Another MT, lying there motionless. It looked as though there was no life left with in it, not a single twinkle behind dimmed eyes. Slowly, he eased around it, dragging his feet, afraid that the smallest sound would somehow jump-start it back into being an actual threat.

He let out a sigh of contentment when he reached the other side of it without incident. But, he kept a watchful glare on it as he continued on, only looking away once the wall broke his line of sight. One more slow foot placement, and he was turned around again, making his way at a reasonable pace; he needed to find some sort of sign as to that floor he was on, or where he was...anything. But, there weren't any visuals that he could make out, unless he was just missing them.

"You can run all you want," he stopped and whipped his head around to nothing. "But, do you honestly think you can get away?" he returned his attention forward and took an involuntary leap back.

Prompto fixed fiery blue eyes on him, wavering the slightest amount with fearful apprehension of what was to come. "Just...just let me go," he uttered, his voice choosing now to cower out, "Haven't you played enough of this sick game?" His weapon was held up defensively, preparing to use it despite knowing what this man was capable of.

"It's not polite to use such a nasty tone with your host," Ardyn purred, strolling forward ever so leisurely. "But, I'll be the polite one I suppose, and answer your question." Prompto blinked, another gasp of surprise sounding out when the space before him was clear once more. His eyes darted back and forth, searching for where he could have gone. "Sorry, but this game isn't over until the hero arrives," the words brushed over his ear, ruffling his hair and causing a shiver to run violently through him.

Arms were around him before he could react, strong and embracing, tight enough to prevent him from pulling away...and they were cold. His metallic casing tightened, his hands loosening with pressure against his ribs and the ax clattered to the floor as a burdened cry ripped from his already abused throat.

"I've had about enough of your childish attempts," he growled, sounding an awful lot like Gladio. Prompto scanned his blurred sight over to one of the arms, seeing the familiar tattoos flowing down it. But the temperature of it highly contrasted the fleshy tones. It was the same damn trick as earlier. "I think it's time you just calm down and accept that you're not getting out of this."

The blond tried to pull against it, tried to squirm away, but the grip was too secure, and the efforts were only succeeding in making the grips tighten. He coughed against it, finding air difficult to take in now; he tried to speak, strangled hiss and gasps taking the place of words.

"That's it, just settle down, you don't want to hurt yourself, do you?" it was Ardyn's voice now, no longer portraying the cover of a comrade.

'No, no, no no...' the simple words ran circles around his head, loops upon loops, and it was the only coherent thought he could muster at the moment. This was it, he was sure of it; if this didn't kill him, then he had lost his only chance of getting out of here. There was a definite 'cracking' sound, and he was positive it had to be one of his ribs, there was no doubt about it.

Next thing he knew, he was careening to the side, but it wasn't due to losing consciousness; no, this thing was listing to the side, dragging him down with it. Yet, it still held on tight, its arms never letting up until they were both crashing to the ground. A sharp jolt of burning agony flared in Prompto's side with the impact. He let out a pained whimper, too out of breath to do more than that. The action of even putting some distance between himself and the downed MT was out of the question until he got some feeling back into his limbs.

He took in short and labored breaths, anything beyond that sending waves of torture through his torso. One arm protectively wrapped itself around him in an attempt to lessen the stabs, and it helped marginally, but not enough to really be effective. Coughing lightly with a wince, he carefully rolled over to his back, away form the enemy. As he lied there, trying to put his pieces back together, he kept his eyes on it, not trusting its prone position for a moment.

It took him far longer than he would have approved of before he felt comfortable enough to try standing, and even then, the slightest of movements made him want to just fall and curl back up for eternity. "Can't...stop now," he whispered between hisses as he worked his way over to one of the walls in order to lean against it. 'Ok, maybe after a few more minutes,' he decided when that minimal movement left him winded. Swallowing thickly, he glanced down at his middle, and slowly reached for the bottom of his shirt with his free hand. Gingerly, he raised it up to uncover the already flourishing bruise underneath. Prompto cringed at the sight of it; now he was completely sure at least one rib was cracked if not more.

Dropping the material back down, he leaned his head back against the biting surface of the metal and blinked rabidly, fighting the stinging in his eyes. "Dammit," he muttered, gritting his teeth and placing one hand firmly on the wall to hoist himself up. A groan and a pained whimper were forced out as it pulled against his injured side, but he tried to ignore it and tough it out the best he could. He glanced towards the MT, which looked just as it had before, like a hunk of scrap. Scowling at it, the gunner half-limped back to his stolen ax; and, very slowly and agonizingly, he scooped it back up. Without hesitation, he brought it down on the things head, cringing as the blow sent vibrations up his arms.

This time, hopefully it would stay down. By now, he didn't care anymore; it was obvious Ardyn was just fucking with him at this point; he knew exactly where he was, and there was no point in trying to sneak around. The man would find him no matter what. "Why don't you just...just come get me then?" he asked, not exactly seeking a real answer.

"Just come out already!" he shouted, voice breaking at the end from the soreness. He let the head of the ax fall to the ground, but kept his right hand on the grip of it, refusing to drop it again. "Just, get it over with," he spoke quieter, his moment of frustration fleeting him.

Of course he didn't get a response, like the man would actually give him what he wanted. No. he'd draw this out as long as he were able. Defeated, Prompto just nodded slowly, accepting this hell for what it was and what it was going to be. "I get it," he sighed, turning without a word, dragging the ax behind him, the scrapes bouncing off the walls as they overshadowed everything else.

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"Get the hell out of my way!" Noctis growled, shoving another MT against the wall with all the force he could muster. "Damn, it's like there's no end to this place," he huffed out in annoyance.

There was a deep hum of affirmation next to him as Gladio finished off his own opponent with ease. "They definitely don't know what to give up," he agreed with a solid stomp, making sure this one was utterly incapable of movement again. Once he was satisfied, he took a couple steps back until he was standing next to Ignis again, his hand instinctively reaching out to hover next to him.

The adviser wrinkled his nose at the various scents that were assaulting him; it was like some putrid brew of oils and metals, and a few others he didn't want to think about what they came from. It was obvious this place had been here for quite some time, and well taken care of on top of that. "I highly suggest we find him quickly and get to the crystal," he said lowly, subtly trying to urge the other two to speed things up and not worry about him. It was obvious they were taking things slower than they needed to for his sake.

"What do you think we're doing?" the prince asked sarcastically, failing to bite his tongue in time. Neither of the others commented on that, they were all a bit on edge, so they couldn't blame him for being a bit snippy. "Where the hell is he?" he muttered to himself, glancing up in time to see something zip by. He blinked heavily a few times in shock, "Did...did you see that?"

Gladio looked to him in curiosity. "What?" he asked, following his gaze.

"Someone ran by," he answered, slowly strolling forward with a sense of caution in his steps. "Prompto?" he called out, feeling hopeful and letting his emotions get to him. "Hey!" he yelled louder.

A strong hand grabbed his upper arm. "Hey, try to keep it down, will ya? We don't know who or what all is around here," his shield warned, locking eyes with him. "Try to control yourself in here." He was just as anxious and hopeful as the next guy, but they couldn't risk or afford jumping to conclusions like that just because they wanted it to be true.

"I know that," he retorted, not hiding his irritation with the man, "But, I know what I saw." he pulled his arm away and made his way towards it, not caring if the others followed or not; they could stay behind if they wanted, wouldn't have made a difference to him either way. "I'm not gonna do anything reckless," he promised, stopping momentarily to make his point clear.

Rolling his eyes, Gladio tapped the brunet on the arm, silently telling him to follow and stay close.

"Prom?" the raven beckoned quietly, peeking around the corner he saw the figure run to. And, as he gazed down, he saw another scurry, and this time he know he caught a glimpse of blond dart around the wall. "Guys, it's him," he sounded both relieved and confused. Surely the blond heard him, yet he continued to flee further away. "Prom, wait," he was back to his previous volume, completely disregarding Gladio's earlier warnings against it.

He stopped at the end of that hall, the sound of the other's footsteps echoing down to him, and they sounded slightly off to him. In a sense that they were uneven. Another step and his foot slipped, almost taking him down if it weren't for the wall being so close. Noctis glanced down and slid his foot to the side, a bright smear of red trailing after it. Fresh. His heart dropped down and his pulse raced. "Shit," he spat as his eyes followed the trail, droplets leading the way. He sped up and no longer gave the others the chance to keep up.

"Prompto!" he called as he made his way down, being sure to avoid the blood splatters as he went, "Prompto, come on. What the hell are you doing?" He was starting to get a bit frustrated with his constant retreat. His pace slowed to that of a snail when he saw a dead end to the hall he was currently in; a slightly haggard form standing at the end of it.

The blond stared back at him, eyes wide in fear as his hands gripped an ax for dear life, as if letting so much as a finger slip would be the end of him. "Just leave me alone," he begged, slowly shaking his head.

The prince's breath caught in his throat at the pleading tone his words carried. "Prompto, come on, what are you talking about?" he continued forward anyway.

"I'm tired of this, how many times are you going to play this same game?" he questioned, looking as though he were on the brink of a breakdown. "It's getting old." Noctis narrowed his eyes, scanning over the other from top to bottom, pausing on each injury. First was the nasty looking gash just below his hairline, a thin trail of blood streaming down the side of his face. Then his twilight scrutiny darted down to his shoulder, his vest was ripped, crimson decorating the edges of it.

And then there was the way he was standing, he leaned strangely to the right side, and he could only assume that standing straight was too painful for him. Other than those, there were various other smaller cuts and gashes covering him, but none of the others struck him as overly severe. Though, when you added them all together, he couldn't imagine how painful it must have been.

By this point, he could feel the presence of the other two next to him. "What the hell..." he heard the shield trail off; any irritation or lecture he had prepared for the raven was long gone once he caught sight of their gunner. Amber locked onto sky for a fraction of a moment, but it was enough for the terror and unease to become tangible. Narrowing his eyes, he lifted his hands in a show that he didn't intend to harm him. "Prompto," he started, flashing a look to Noctis telling him to take things slow and steady for now, "I have no idea what you went through here, but it's just us."

"Y-you honestly expect me to believe that?" he asked, bitingly. His watchful glare flicked between the three of them, softening slightly when they landed on Ignis and the way he wasn't looking back at him like the others were. Right, he'd almost forgotten about that.

Noctis exhaled heavily, mirroring the other's act in raising his hands, showing his palms to reveal that they were empty. "Prom, just come here. What do you want us to say?"

"I dunno," he answered honestly, shaking his head, the ax lowering an inch or two as he thought about it.

The other took that chance to inch forward a little more, and Prompto instantly raised his weapon back up. "Don't worry, I'll still keep at a distance," he promised, his hands never leaving the air. Those blues seemed to waver slightly, like he wanted desperately to believe. Though, it did strike him as odd that these fakes weren't as aggressive as they had been, and never had they talked this much before attacking. "Look, you can keep the ax, but do you mind if I come closer?"

He thought about it, debating internally if he trusted him enough for that, but in the end, he nodded carefully, his hands clutching the weapon close to his chest. "Alright," he choked out, trying to straighten himself up with a harsh wince of pain when it aggravated his ribs. Prompto kept a close watch on Noctis as he closed the gap, slowly approaching until he was within arms reach. The blond stared intently into his eyes, searching for that flicker or that reflection of ill-intent. His shoulders slumped a bit after a minute of digging and coming up with nothing.

"Noct?" he asked, recognition coming back to him. Saying nothing, the other just nodded and held out his hand as his looked to the ax. Following the gesture, he complied and hesitantly handed it over, but didn't let his guard fall away completely...not again. Taking the object, the raven muttered a 'thanks' before extending it out behind him, waiting for Gladio to come and take it form him.

"See?" he slowly brought both hands back in front of him, "It's us, we don't want to hurt you, alright?"

He still appeared to be a little skittish, but he was slowly coming around. "Right," he uttered, letting most of the tension drain from him, his body faltering a tad with that relaxation. One arm wrapped back around his torso and he finally let himself give in to his body's pleas for alleviation. His face scrunched against it and a pained hiss left his lips.

Without asking, Noctis was next to him in an instant to support him. "Come on, we should probably get going," he offered, silently asking the others to just go along with it. He knew there was still the crystal they had to worry about, but at his point in time, this felt a bit more important. "You got it?" he asked once he felt a good amount of the weight shift against him. Prompto nodded, not wanting to annoy his vocal chords further with more speech.

"I believe there's a few rooms we can take him and let him rest a bit," Gladio caught on to what Noctis was asking, and decided he wouldn't say anything yet. He figured they could afford to take a little bit of time before rushing forward.

"Do we have any potions left," Noctis asked, casting a worried look over to his suffering friend, who seemed to be sagging more against him with each passing second.

Ignis hummed to himself before replying, "I believe I have a few on me. How many do you need?"

He scanned Prompto over once more, waging the condition of him internally. "Uh, I'd guess at least two." If the way he was protecting his side and breathing, he figured it was safe to assume there was quite a bit of damage there somewhere. "Think we can spare that many?" not that he really cared, if they had them, he was pretty set on using them.

The others were plainly aware of that as well because the adviser simply agreed to it, not a hint of denying him the curatives about him.

"Alright, let's get you somewhere where you can lie down, and we'll get things taken ca- Prom?" he gave a nudge when the other listed completely against him, forcing him to take all of his weight now. "Hey," he gave another shake, but got no response.

Gladio paused as well and stepped over to check things out at the panic shining through in Noctis' voice. "Calm down, he's just passed out," he assured calmly. "Here, I'll take him from here," he didn't need a comply to scoop him away. "He'll be alright, just a bit banged up, but with those potions, he'll just need a bit of sleep, I'm sure." He gave the other a small and kind smile, "Don't worry about it."

"Yeah," he sighed, keeping his eyes on the blond, "I know he will be."

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

It was weird, he felt almost as if he were floating, there was no pain, and no more aches, and it was strange. He knew he wasn't dead, and he was pretty sure he was awake if the chatters going on around him were anything to go by. But, there was still that heavy sensation dragging down on his limbs. There was another weight next to him, something that wasn't a part of him, and it didn't take much time for realization to strike that it was someone else. And, his mind shot straight to Ardyn, the thought of being caught thrusting him into reality.

He shot upright, his head throbbing with the lack of a warning as breaths heaved in and out of his lungs. "Whoa, settle down," it came from the form next to him, and his gaze snapped over. Slowly his breaths descended into more reasonable ones and the cold sweat he had now just felt gross and sticky.

"Noct," he uttered, it wasn't a question, but more of a greeting in a way.

"Yeah," he nodded, "How are you feeling. We used a couple potions on you already, but we have a couple more it you still aren't up to a hundred percent yet."

Knitting his brows, Prompto glanced down at himself, seeing that there weren't anymore cuts littering his arms. Also, now that he was conscious of it, breathing came easily, his ribs no longer punished him for the action. "Oh," he whispered, pressing a hand against his side to test it out. "I...I think I'm good," even though he still sounded not all there.

"Everything alright?" the other pushed, concerned that there was still something he wasn't putting out in the open. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"No!" he answered a bit too enthusiastically, "No, it's not that. Guess it's just a bit hard to believe, ya know?"

The raven looked at him with a quizzical expression, "What do you mean?"

"It's just..." he took a deep breath and pulled himself to sit up, "That, I wasn't sure if I'd see you guys again." He tried to shrug it off as if it weren't a big deal, but he couldn't hide the truth, it was written all over his features.

"Keep going," Noctis urged him, not accepting that as the end of things.

He chuckled lightly, the sound coming off as a tad bitter. "Well, I didn't even know where I was, so why would any of you know where I was. It wasn't too ridiculous to doubt ever getting back to you guys...or being found." He cleared his throat, "But, I'm glad ya did. I think I might have lost it in this place," he smiled at his own terrible sense of humor, knowing full well how close he really was, and he hadn't even been there for a full day. Twelve hours? Maybe more, but who was to say? "Seriously, it was hard to accept when I saw you guys, I really thought it was just Ardyn again."

Noctis nodded slowly, unsure how to take all that. "Well, here we are. It's really us this time, so there's no worries there. Unless you're not really you," he joked, earning a pity snort from the other. "But yeah, whenever you're feeling back up to it, we should get going; I don't wanna rush you, but this place isn't the best place to stay too long in.

"I'm good," he promised, scooting over to sit up on the other side of the bed. "Let's get this over with."


End file.
